Deflecting switch means for chutes



Oct. 23, 1951 H. K. MONEYPENNY ET AL 2,572,745

DEFLECTING SWITCH MEANS FOR CHUTES Filed Feb. 7, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET l INVENTORS HAROLD KENNETH MONEYPENNY GORDON HOWARD TOWNEND FRANK BEARDSMORE ATTOR NEY H. K. MONEYPENNY ET A L 2,572,745

DEFLECTING SWITCH MEANS FOR CHUTES Oct. 23, 1951 Filed Feb. 7, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 b b I FIG .4

INVENTORS HAROLD KENNZ-l" MONEYPENNY GORDON H" 'ARD TOWNEND FRANK BEARDSMORE ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 23, 1 951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEFLECTING SWITCH MEANS FOR CHUTES Application February7, 1949, Serial No. 75,044 In Great Britain February 13, 1948 2 Claims.

The invention relates to means for counting small articles into groups of predetermined quantities, and has for its object to provide a novel form of such means.

According to this invention the means for counting small articles into groups of predetermined quantities comprises a trackway along which the articles are caused to travel, two branch tracks associated with the discharge end of said trackway, and a deflector device the position of which can be changed to divert the articles from one branch track to the other, and is characterised in that the deflector device is urged by spring loading from one position to the other and is controlled by an armature of an electro-magnet which is energised each time a predetermined number of articles has passed a given point in the trackway.

In carrying out the invention, according to one example, a light beam from a projector is caused to pass across the path of the articles'as they move along the trackway and each article as it crosses the beam, throws a'shadow on to a photo-electric cell, thus causing a momentary drop in current which is passing therethrough. The cell is electrically connected to an electronic counter which comprises a pair of ring of 12 Thyratron counters arranged in cascade, and. each time the predetermined number of articles has passed, causes an electromagnet to be excited to attract an armature which trips the deflector. The latter then goes over, by the action of a spring, to its other position at which it is retained by the armature until it is again tripped. Each time the deflector goes over, the spring has the direction of its pull reversed and its tension restored by an electric motor.

The invention will now be more fully described with reference to the embodiment shown diagrammatically, and by way of example, in accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a view showing the general lay-out of the apparatus.

Figure 2 illustrates the electro-mechanical means for operating the deflector and reversing the electric motor.

Figure 3 illustrates switch means for stopping the electric motor each time the deflector-actuating spring has had its direction of pull reversed and its tension restored.

Figure 4 is a circuit diagram of the electric motor and associated reversing contacts and stop contacts.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figure 1, the small articles to be counted are caused to travel in a succession or stream along a trackway a, in the direction of the arrow A. As the articles pass a point B in the traclrway a they, in turn, cross a light beam C from a projector c and so cause a shadow of each article to be cast upon a photo-electric cell it on to which the said beam is directed. Each shadow cast upon the cell at causes a momentary drop in current passing therethrough and these current fluctuations are used to operate an electronic counter e which is electrically connected to the cell (1. Each time a predetermined number of articles has passed the point B the electronic counter 2 causes a deflector plate 1 to change its position so as to divert the supply of articles, issuing from the trackway a, from one of two branch tracks 9, h, to the other.

In this way the articles are counted into groups or batches of predetermined quantity and the successive groups or batches are delivered to the tracks 9, h, for subsequent packaging.

The operation of the deflector plate f, by the electronic counter e is effected by an electromagnet 2' the armature 7' of which controls, in

.. the manner of an escapement, a spring-loaded lever is which is mechanically connected to the deflector plate I (see particularly Figure 2). In this connection the electronic counter e transmits an energising impulse to the electro-magnet 1' each time a predetermined number of articles has passed the point B; the counter circuits are actuated by voltage pulses from the photoelectric cell d, and, after a predetermined count the counters in turn pass a sharp pulse to the control grid of a cold cathode discharge tube (not shown). This tube then discharges a condenser (not shown) through the triggering electro-magnet; this causes the armature 7' to be moved out of the path of the lever so that the spring-loading can come into action and swing the lever k, and with it the deflector plate 1 into its opposite extreme position. The two limiting positions of the lever 70 may be determined by stops (not shown).

As shown in Figure 2, the armature j is in the form of a bar of ferrous metal normally supported a short distance from the pole pieces of the electro-magnet i and with its pallet-like ends in the path of swing of the upper end of the lever It. The lever is is pivoted at Z and its shorter arm carries a pin m which is connected by a tension coil spring. n to a post 0 carried on an arm p which is secured on a shaft q. This shaft, which is co-axial with the pivot Z, or nearly so,

is driven by a reversible electric motor M (see Figure 4).

When the lever is reaches either of its limitin positions it is retained by the adjacent palletlike end of the armature 7' of the then de-energised electro-magnet i. In each of these positions the lever k completes the motor circuit through one or other of a pair or" reverse contacts indicated by the reference D so that, after each swing over of the lever is, the motor is reversed and drives the shaft q inthe opposite direction to that in which it operated after the immediately previous swing of said lever k. This causes the arm 11 and associated spring n to swing over to a diametrically opposite position in which the spring tension is restored and operates in a direction to'return the lever k, and with it the deflector plate ,f, to its former position when again tripped or released by the armature 7'. At the end of each swing of the arm p, it operates one of a pair of switches, indicated by the reference E, to stop the motor.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In apparatus for counting small articles into groups of predetermined quantities, means for deflecting articles comprising a trackway along which the articles are caused to travel, two branch tracks associated with the discharge end of said trackway, a deflector device including a lever for changing the position of the deflector device to divert the articles from one branch track to the other, a tension spring which operates said lever to effect the changes of position of the deflector device, an electro-magnet the armature of which operates as an escapement to control the movement of the deflector lever and which is adapted to be energised each time a predetermined number of articles has passed a given point in the trackway to cause the armature to trip the deflector lever and allow the tension spring to operate the lever to change the position of the deflector device, and means for restoring the tension of the spring and reversing its direction of pull on said lever ready to effect the next change of position of the deflector device when the lever is again tripped by the armature, such tension restoring and direction reversing means for the spring including a reversible motor the circuit of which is completed by the deflector arm after each change of position of the deflector and is automatically broken when the direction of pull of the spring has been reversed.

2. In apparatus for counting small articles into groups of predetermined quantities, means for deflecting articles comprising a trackway along which the articles are caused to travel, two

branch tracks associated with the discharge end' of the trackway, a deflector device including a lever for changing the position of the deflector device to divert the articles from one branch track to the other, a reversible motor, a shaft co-axial with the pivot of said lever and driven by the motor, an arm fixed to said shaft, a tension spring connected at one end to said lever and at its other end to said arm, which spring operates the said lever to efiect the changes of position of the deflector device, an electromagnet the armature of which operates as an escapement to control the movement of the deflector lever and which is adapted to be energized by an electric impulse to cause the armature to trip the deflector lever and allow the tension spring to operate the lever to change the position of the deflector device, reversing contacts actuated by said lever when it effects each change of position of the deflector to complete the motor circuit, and stopping contacts operated by the arm on the motor driven shaft to break the motor circuit when said arm has been turned so as to restore the tension of the spring and reverse its direction of pull on the said lever.

HAROLD KENNETH MONEYPENNY. GORDON HOWARD TOWNEND. FRANK BEARDSMORE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in .the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,741,387 Waitkus Dec. 31, 1929 2,059,398 Roemer Nov. 3, 1936 ,304,982 Wilckens Dec. 15, 1942' 

